The Runaway
by kristalmariee
Summary: Liv was raised by a cult known as Miles saved for eternity. When Liv starts questioning all she was raised to believe she knows it is time to get out before facing an unknown punishment. few that Liv left behind matter but there is one person she misses most her best friend, Amara.


The escape plan

Captivity, sounds like a nasty word to describe life, the sort of thing saved for wild animals or criminals. Captivity is how I would describe my life. Over the last few weeks even months I have started to think over how others away from this place have freedom well more freedom than I have ever experienced, I knew those on the outside had governments to contend with rather than the Strict rigid rules held up by those in the higher levels which controlled my life.

I was brought up in what those on the outside or what others here would say those in the darkness, would call a cult. Even as a child or when I was ten year old, I started asking about those outside of this community, my mother who had grown up there said I didn't need to worry there was nothing but evil and until my father had made her see the light she hadn't noticed how smothered she was by worldly ways of thinking and acting. That was all she would say since then whenever I said anything this was her mantra. Soon I gave up asking and they stopped acting like something had grabbed hold of me some unknown spirit as I once overheard them say. These memories now made me angry and sad that they didn't seem to grasp how twisted I found this life, they were just happy I hadn't gone up to the guy that runs this thing and ask these questions to his face he would probably have said Satan has a strong hold on my life or something and that I needed to be exorcized.

I soon started asking questions again just last week during a bible study session with my parents. Since I was older I was craftier about the way I went about. I went about it in a way that was sort of opposite but hit closer to home. Instead of asking about the outside, I started asking about the inside. Why were we kept away if the bible states we need to save people and bring them to us? The answer had been because this is the mission God had truly set and my mother was one of those rare few who came in to contact with our group and was saved, we didn't need to all over the world for people to see the light.

I then asked where did all the other rules come from for instance like girls education been cut when we hit fifteen just to stay at home and clean and had no future to look forward to? And boys going on to be ministers or work the land? I was getting really excited and like I was floating on top of some major revelation when my father abruptly cut me off and sent me to my room, but not quite so peacefully I was dragged by my hair as if pain would stop me from questioning the authority of this place, I had to read scriptures and write notes about them for eight hours before I was allowed any sort of sleep, this was supposed to help my soul heal while my father spoke to Miles as he had said before leaving my room. Miles ugh! I groaned in annoyance with myself and wanted to scream to my father and tell him not to do talk to him, but that would likely have resulted in a bigger punishment again. Miles was the guy this nut place was named after well Miles junior now ran it, he was named after his grandfather or something. This cult was called "Miles saved for eternity" lame and predictable even for a cult.

The next few days were weird apparently miles was away on some business thing with some guy from another sector of this society which was stationed in some place I had never heard of. This made me happy but also cautious he was due back in one week. My father said he would have to wait before he had could deal with me. He said to my mother as I listened from the stairs that he didn't blame her for the way I behaved she may have come from the outside but she was as much an insider as he was. That annoyed me how could any two people be brainwashed by such garbage? I got my father was born in to this place and his parents before that, but my mother? Maybe she had had too many bad experiences on the outside and turned this place for comfort when she met my father that could explain the radio silence whenever I tried asking about it.

That was how I got to where I am now with a bag packed, a two litre water bottle some cracker, fruit a torch and a blanket all that I could fit in to my old school bag which I hadn't used since last year as sixteen year olds apparently were equipped with everything God needed them to have. Since I found out about Miles vacation I started watching the guards patterns as this place was set up with high security to stop run a ways and who knows what else they really did, any way I saw how efficient they were rarely leaving their posts. I had calculated that there was three days left until Miles return.

I had only told one person of my plans to flee and that was my childhood best friend Amara, she had just found out this afternoon, I wanted it to be on short notice so it didn't hurt so much and I wouldn't be swayed to stay for her,, even though I knew I was been selfish. She too knew this place was like been kept in captivity, she had grown sad that I was doing this but understood, she said she would come with me if she could, but she had to look after her mother, who had started losing her sight a few years back and with her father deceased there wasn't a lot that could be done for it. We sat on the bed in her room reminiscing about the old times and figuring out what it would be like on the outside for me, we started laughing as we spoke about boys and party's we had been told were evil since arranged marriages were the thing here. We eventually grew silent until I said it was time for me to go.

Thinking back to now I noticed my eyes were wet with those last few moments with my friend, I swallowed down tears I knew that would start billowing over if I spent too much time thinking about her. I had all the motivation to get out of here, all those past problems fuelling my energy, making me feel brave enough to do this as well as the thought that Miles would be back, I didn't want to go through any punishment he may have in store for me. I stood up throwing my hair in to a messy bun and grabbed my bag from the corner in my room.

I had a plan in motion, as I said I had been watching the guards, my plan was pretty simple, if I could make it without been caught. around one the guards had a switch the next set usually didn't show up until five or ten past one- I had been monitoring this with the watch I always wore on my left hand- so I had a bit of time to climb out the bathroom window and jump over the fence and start running until I reached some sort of transport on the outside. That was slightly comforting knowing that cars existed and were faster than human feet. I left my room and climbed down the stairs quickly and quietly, I listened for any noise from my parent's room, thirty seconds later nothing so I continued with my getaway.

I made my way over to the other end of the house as quietly as I could upon the wooden floor, I reached a cupboard in the lounge room where money was always stashed away for tithes at church I got there and noticed it had about sixty dollars in it taking it I slipped it into my jeans pocket. The walk from the lounge room to the bathroom was quick and uneventful.

I closed the door behind me just managing to get the bag in without making noise. Once the door was locked I sighed silently grateful that so far everything was going as planned. I looked out the window and noticed that a guard was walking to some other destination checking my watch it showed me that there was still another five minutes before he switched with someone else. Deciding that the head start could possibly be a good thing provided he didn't come back to his post.

Slowly slipping the window open, I listened for any noise or movement within the house in case I had after all tipped on one of my off parents, deciding all was good after hearing nothing, I dropped my bag to the ground only hearing a light thump as it hit the ground below. I soon noticed that I was grateful for the tree that covered half the window, I climbed up and sat on the ledge facing the tree and ground I let my legs dangle not sure what else to latch on to, then inspiration hit and I started smiling whilst feeling nervous about this so called plan. I decided to try something crazier than I had ever done before, so here it was I moved over and reached for a branch nearby, hoping it was strong enough to hold my weight, I managed to climb over a little more with one hand gripping the bathroom window ledge and the other on the branch, ten seconds later I let go of both and closed my eyes not wanting to see what would happen when I fell, even if was only two meters. As I landed ungracefully to the ground I noticed that my jeans had grass stains and hands were slightly scraped from both the old window and tree branch, knowing I needed to move quickly I reached for my bag and started creeping behind the tree. I prayed that the guards noticed nothing, as I peeked out from my spot the scene before I jumped out of the window hadn't changed. Figuring I had already wasted too long already I ran towards the fence with my pack on my back the fence was not easy to climb since it was wood, but hoping my long legs would be a good benefit to this plan working I started climbing each bar of wood, I reached over as I got to the top of the fence, my heart pounding in my chest amazed I had gotten this far. I flung one leg over while the weight in my bag seemed to be weighing me down a bit more than I would have though, since there was not much in it I managed the other leg as I heard guards talking and their voices growing closer to where I was, figuring the switch was taking place I landed with a light thump but enough to startle their ears, hoping they thought it was just some wild animal and not some runaway I started running not looking back I just ran and ran and ran until I could go no further.


End file.
